Thiago Silva is expected to return to the Octagon on May 15. |
Photo: Dave Mandel

A light heavyweight rematch is in the works for UFC on FX 3,
promotion officials recently announced, as Brandon Vera
and Thiago
Silva have verbally agreed to square off at the May 15
event.

Expected to take place at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., the
event will also feature a middleweight pairing between Tom Lawlor
and Jason
MacDonald. The UFC’s last trip to the Patriot Center occurred
in 2010 when Gray
Maynard outpointed Nate Diaz via
split decision in the main event of Fight
Night 20.

Silva and Vera previously met at UFC
125. The Brazilian dominated his American opponent for three
rounds, badly breaking Vera’s nose in the process. However, the
verdict was later changed to a no-contest by the Nevada State
Athletic Commission after Silva admitted to altering his urine
sample to mask prohibited substances.

According to Silva, who had been on the sideline for a year due to
a back injury, he had re-injured his back prior to the contest and
had taken injections containing banned substances rather than
withdraw from the bout.

The 29-year-old had his license revoked for one year by the NSAC
and forfeited 25 percent of his purse, as well as $20,000 of his
$55,000 win bonus, totaling $33,750 in fines. Silva has not
competed since.

Vera, meanwhile, returned to the cage on Oct. 29, edging Eliot
Marshall in a contentious unanimous decision at UFC
137. The win marked the first victory for “The Truth” since he
outpointed Krzysztof
Soszynski in 2009.

Lawlor has lost three of his last four fights. “The Filthy Mauler”
dropped two of three contests in 2010, falling to Aaron
Simpson and Joe Doerksen
before outpointing Patrick Cote
to close out the year at UFC
121. The middleweight fought just once in 2011, as he was put
to sleep by a Chris
Weidman brabo choke this past November.

MacDonald was bested by Alan
Belcher in his most recent outing, falling by first-round
knockout to “The Talent” at Fight
Night 25in September. The Canadian was successful in his lone
other appearance last year, however, as MacDonald submitted
Ryan
Jensen with a triangle choke in front of a partisan Canadian
crowd at UFC
129 in Toronto.

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